Barnes & Noble.com Announces New Products: Magazine Subscriptions
Brand New Category Features More than 1,000 Titles to Print Subscriptions
NEW YORK, May 6, 2008 --(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, announced today they will be selling magazine subscriptions in both digital and print formats. BN.com will sell subscriptions to over 1,000 magazine titles, available in both digital and print formats, at prices up to ninety percent off newsstand cover prices. Digital subscriptions will be available within minutes of purchase for viewing on desktops and laptops. In addition, more than 12,000 back issues of hundreds of magazine titles will be available digitally for purchase as single copies.
BN.com has partnered with Zinio to fulfill digital magazines and with M2 Media Group to provide fulfillment services for paper-based magazine subscriptions. The selling of digital magazine follows the 2007 launch on BN.com of the Zinio-powered “See Inside” feature, which enables customers to experience interactive previews of book content. The popular “See Inside” feature will now enable customers to also preview certain magazines, in a high-quality virtual experience that closely replicates the page-turning of a print magazine.
“Consumer awareness and demand for digital content are seeing unprecedented growth. Zinio’s expertise in creating and promoting high- fidelity reading experiences makes this partnership a natural fit.” said Rich Maggiotto, chief executive officer of Zinio. “Together, BN.com and Zinio will take the reading experience to the next level by delivering high-quality digital products quickly and in a format suited to the readers’ needs and interests.”
“BN.com saw the benefits of offering print magazine subscriptions to customers, and chose M2 Media Group to provide a seamless integration,” said Michael Borchetta, chief executive officer of M2 Media Group. “We’re excited to partner with such a well-known and respected brand, and really get involved in helping build its online magazine business from the ground up.”
“Our magazine offering gives our customers the ultimate flexibility to consume their favorite magazines both digitally and/or in the more traditional print form via a subscription,” said Marie Toulantis, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble.com. “By growing our relationship with Zinio, and introducing a partnership with M2 Media Group, we will be the only retailer to offer both options in an integrated shopping experience.”
About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 798 bookstores in 50 states. For the fourth year in a row, the company is the nation’s top bookseller brand, as determined by a brand’s overall strength based on its combination of familiarity, quality and purchase intent, according to the EquiTrend® Brand Study by Harris Interactive®. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e- commerce sites.
General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.
About Zinio LLC
Zinio is the global leader for digital publishing products and services. Zinio provides publishers with new circulation and revenue growth opportunities through its comprehensive offerings from marketing programs that include customer acquisition, retention and cross-promotion to seamless production services, a robust e-commerce engine and extensive digital delivery, circulation and fulfillment services. Zinio has offices in San Francisco and New York with several franchisees worldwide.
About M2 Media Group, LLC
M2 Media Group (www.m2mediagroup.com) is a leading magazine subscription agency specializing in online marketing channels. The company designs magazine marketing and loyalty programs in partnership with top consumer brands and the world’s largest magazine publishers.
M2 has forged magazine partnerships with industry leaders such as Expedia, Match.com, e-Rewards, eHarmony, Dice.com, Affinion Group and Orbitz, and owns and operates several leading magazine services, including BlueDolphin (www.bluedolphin.com), MyPrice Magazines (www.mypricemagazines.com), and Mercury Magazines (www.mercurymagazines.com). M2 Media Group is based in Stamford, Connecticut.